Washington (CNN) -- The retired general who took charge of relief efforts in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina said Thursday that the U.S. military should have arrived in earthquake-devastated Haiti 24 hours earlier.

"The good Samaritans who moved early on the first day are to be applauded. They made a difference," said Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, a CNN contributor.

"What we've got to do now is get the heavy equipment in. I thought the U.S. military could have been there a day earlier. They're on the ground now, and they have a brigade en route, and that's going to make a big difference," he said.

Honore, best known for his management of the recovery efforts after the hurricane that killed about 2,000 people on the Gulf Coast, said "time is of the essence" in helping quake survivors.

Repairing the seaport at Port-au-Prince and keeping the airport open are key to bringing in equipment, food, water and medicine, Honore said.

Regarding the airport, he said, "You need to put the right commander there who's going to be a battle captain and keep those aircraft flowing. You come in, you drop off what you have, you put the sick and wounded on and then move out. No one is standing any time on the airfield. You can be in and out in a half hour."

Speaking at the House Democratic Caucus Retreat later Thursday, Obama acknowledged the scrutiny focused on U.S. response.

"This is a time when the world looks to us and they say -- given our capacity, given our unique capacity to project power around the world -- that we have to project that not just for our own interests but for the interests of the world as a whole," he said. "And my national security team understands that

He should know it takes time to get ships loaded with the right stuff, placed in the right order so unloading can be done faster.
But first security has to be paramount. If you start unloading stuff in ports willy nilly with people to make sure it is going to the right people at the right time, they when end like the Liveaid stuff that either was stolen or left to rot on the docks.

5
posted on 01/15/2010 4:42:45 AM PST
by Yorlik803
(better to die on your feet than live on your knees.)

Wrong. We should donate money food and water and let the UN handle it. Obama will go all in and adopt the country. We will never be able to get out. This is going to be a nightmare. That moron is sending an aircraft carrier and the 82nd Airborne. Good god what an idiot! Although he did have the comments in his book about how Haitis problems are caused by “White Mans Greed”. And how cruise ships throw enough food away every day to feed the whole country. Well we are about to find out.

Seriously...guess the US was just too busy being an imperial hegmony with delusions of superpower-dom.

Thought the response time was pretty quick, disaster on Sunday, MASSIVE movement of men and material Tuesday-Wednesday. Suppose if we are the worlds 911, that is the whole spectrum of emergency services....

"The good Samaritans who moved early on the first day are to be applauded. They made a difference,"

So applaud them, already. Good Samaritans move on a whim. Hell, I personally flew a ton and a half of goods (in five flights) in my little RV-6 to LA after Katrina as part of a GA relief effort. The word went out via email one day and we were in the air the next, stuffed to the rails with water, food and diapers. Paid for our own fuel and donated our time.

The military moves on orders that come down from the top. If they didn't move, it was because they weren't ordered to move, and THAT order ultimately comes from Barry. And, like any large machine, it takes a while to get momentum up.

Did you have air traffic control when you flew into LA? No air traffic control at Haitian airport was a problem. No lights for landings after dark was another. The military is setting up ATC now (may already be in operation). Lights went on last night thanks to US military.

Our Marines never took a vow to defend & protect haiti nor are they trained in rescue missions.

This sudden impulse to send in US Marines and the other branches for humanitarian purposes is wrong. That is why we have the UN and their “blue helmets”. It isn’t America’s fault the UN isn’t capable.

Watch what will happen in Haiti; Marines will be forced to defend themselves or take offensive actions and THEN will be condemned and tried in a court by this administration that sent them on a mission for a purpose they never signed up for.

The point is that Bush was blamed for the slow response during Katrina’s disaster - and for letting thousands of black New Orleans residents suffer and some die .....

Now the General in charge of that recovery operation is saying Zero, the black President, the CIC, should be blamed for not getting our troops down to Haiti faster and letting tens of thousands of black Haitians suffer and die.....

He is not criticizing the army - but the CIC, IMHO.

I’ll take it....especially coming from Commie News Network.

27
posted on 01/15/2010 5:09:35 AM PST
by Freedom'sWorthIt
(Ronald Reagan: If we ever forget that we're one nation under God,then we'll be a nation gone under.")

Any GOP man or woman would have known the need for immediate action, within 3 minutes of the initial reports. And then withing the hour of what General Honore said. Get to that airport and establish order. Obama did not. He’s a naif.

US Presidents and the US Congress have been sending the military in to do “nationbuilding” ever since the end of WW2. General McArthur did an outstanding job of rebuilding Japan, politically, economically and even culturally- and General Marshall came up with the plan that rebuilt Europe.

However, Vietnam was the beginning of the end, when politicians lack the will to use the miltary as a an instrument of force when needed. Reagan blew it in Lebanon. Clinton blew it in Africa and the Balkans, Bush41 quit too soon in Iraq, Bush43 did a fair job in Iraq after some lessons learned and prodding by Petraeus. But now the jury is out on Afghanistan.

But it seems a guy like obama and the people he has to advise him? Clueless. Not optimistic we will succeed unless somehow, the obamites get out of the way of the people who really know how to sacrifice and produce....

There are plenty of things to complain and play politics about but this ain't one of them. From 2000 until 1/20/09 the Democrats sniped at Bush at every opportunity. Now the Republicans are doing the same. I say: ENOUGH To snipe and try to make political hay out of a natural disaster is in my opinion just wrong.

Cut emperor Hussein some slack - he hasn't had "date night" in over two weeks, his bball skills are getting rusty, and don't even ask about his golf game! He's too busy ramming socialism down our throats!

The first two flights were a free-for-all. I was dodging choppers and C-130s once west of Lake Charles. After that, it got organized. There was an EC-130 orbiting Lake Ponchatrain - "Sky King", believe it or not. We had to contact him before entering the TFR with destination (Slidell had become the focal point of operations on the North side of the lake by then). Still had to dodge military traffic after unloading and on the way out. Stayed low and fast until clear of the area. Was a mess...

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.